Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Finally! My computer is infected and it rarely ever allows me access to the internet. Somehow I've broken through the dismantling spyware and now I can write a little blog (even if I can't check my email).

I paid $2.20/gallon at the pump yesterday. That's by far the most I've ever paid. Didn't we just take over a country with the second largest oil reserves in the world? While I'm sure a free and democratic Iraq will bring peace and stability to the world, when are we gonna get the the War on Terror discount at Texaco?

Actually the world would be a whole lot better off if gasoline cost $5.00/gallon. There is no single greater threat to the earth's ecosystem and mankind than the automobile. If gas taxes weren't a political mine field, we could use those revenues to fund the development of cleaner renewable energy sources, but that may not happen within my lifetime.

America is slowly coming around though, sales of the 11 miles a gallon Hummer have plummeted despite an expensive and aggressive ad campaign. While sales of the 50 miles a gallon hybrid Prius have skyrocketed while running virtually no television ads. I hate to say it, but Al Gore was right.

The only way to change people's behavior is to raise gas prices.

Of course America loves its cars, but the greatest danger to the earth lies on another continent altogether. China's automobile sales have taken off in the past few years, and successful urban Chinese families have begun to move to the suburbs to commute to work. If China's development mirrors the United States we're screwed. Greenhouse gases will multiply exponentially and the the world's resources will be stretched to the breaking point. Its bad enough that we have to compete for the hearts and minds of the oil rich Middle East. Now the Chinese are going to move in on our tumultuous territory, just so they can drive their SUVs to the mini-marts.

World War 3 will not be the West versus the Muslim World, it will be the East and the West fighting for control of the Muslim World. The kind of three headed monster that will make the Islam/Jewish/Christian conflict seem like a simpler, gentler time.
I have the policy ideas to save the world, but in the meantime I'll just walk to work.